It is relatively common to see television programs accompanied by a scrolling “ticker.” The term “ticker” derives from the fact that information in the ticker scrolls sequentially across the bottom of a television screen in a manner analogous to a stock market ticker tape. However, instead of simply including stock market information, current tickers carry a wide variety of other types of information. For instance, tickers that are present on sports channels typically scroll game scores or game schedules. Tickers that are present on news channels scroll the latest headlines, weather reports, or brief news updates.
Tickers are generally encoded in the same analog or digital signal as the television signal. For instance, with Motion Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) digital encoding, the ticker information is included along with the MPEG stream. A graphics generator or other mechanism generates the ticker information at a production studio (or other location) and then combines the ticker information with the television signal. The television signal is then broadcast to viewers. Obviously, with this current implementation, viewers have no control over the content, format, layout, or other presentation aspect of the ticker on their television (including whether or not to even display the ticker), since the production studio maintains such control and since the ticker is integrated with the received television signal.
Because of the lack of viewer control over the operation of these tickers and over the content that they provide, such tickers are “non-interactive.” The static and predetermined nature of these non-interactive tickers makes them unsuitable for interactive television environments. With interactive television, viewers can access interactive content and services that are generally unavailable through conventional television. The “interactive” viewing experience allows viewers to interact with content and services typically with the push of a button, in a manner not allowed by conventional television. Non-interactive tickers that push unsolicited and repetitious information or completely disappear when the viewer changes television channels or when there are changes in the television program may cause much viewer aggravation and detract from the interactive viewing experience.